⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

This book was soooo fun! An urban Indian fantasy? Sign me up! I was looking forward to reading this book ever since it released last month and I finally did it!

Sheetal is a nearly seventeen Indian (Gujarati)- American and the daughter of a star and a mortal. Her mother was fascinated by the lives of mortals and descended from her nakshatra, Pushya to visit our delightful world. Although she loved Sheetal and her father, she could not be separated from her nakshatra for too long. So when Sheetal was 7, her mother disappeared back to the skies. And now nearly 10 years later, Sheetal's body is going through changes. Unknown to her, she is slowly becoming a full star, a process that will complete on her 17th birthday.

As her birthday comes closer, she starts to feel a strong pull from the sky. After an accidental that fatally injures her father, she has ascend to the skies to retrieve a star's blood, which is the only thing that can save him. She finds herself thrown in the middle of the politics of the starry court of the Nakshatras. With her best friend Minal by her side, she must face an impossible task to save her father.

The world building is AMAZING! This book does not feel like a debut. Shevta Thakrar has given lush descriptions of a most fantastical world! All the characters are so well written and complex. Sheetal's struggle with acceptance and her identity are so important and so wonderfully done. She is nowhere near perfect but she is always improving herself. Which I absolutely loved. In fact, none of the characters are perfect. They lie to each other, they betray each other but they also love each other. Music plays a huge role in Sheetal's life and her story. And they way it has been described here is beautiful! There are so many old Bollywood songs in here!!

The only thing I didn't like was that the pacing felt a little off and the timeline was a bit confusing at times. But other than that, beautiful book! Read it!